Staying Motivated

You’ve been in your new position for over a year, and at first, everything was great. You were learning, applying what you’ve learned and helping the team achieve goals. But over the last few months, you have started to feel overwhelmed and rundown. You have a lot of new duties, and lately, it’s becoming harder to focus and taking longer to finish the tasks you used to complete with ease. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or losing motivation at work, there is good news. Today, we’ll share some strategies you can use to get your momentum moving in the right direction and stay motivated at work.

Getting Your Groove Back

Motivating yourself to work can be extremely difficult when you just aren’t feeling it. Getting ready could take longer than usual, and you might not be enthusiastic about the workday ahead. According to the Harvard Business Review, being able to motivate yourself sets high achievers apart from the rest. The most successful people find ways to motivate themselves and maintain their productivity, efficiency, and enthusiasm. However, an article on Indeed states that people can’t perform at a peak level all the time. Our motivation levels fluctuate constantly depending on work and home circumstances. So, what can you do to increase your motivation levels?

Set Goals

One of the first steps you should take is setting specific, realistic, and achievable goals. One suggestion from The Muse is to break the main goal into smaller tasks, which you can complete one at a time. With sub-tasks, you can focus on individual aspects, which will help you stay positive, maintain your productivity, and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. One thing to remember is that what motivates someone else won’t necessarily work for you.

Apply Constructive Feedback

Make sure to listen and learn from the feedback you receive from supervisors, team leads and colleagues. By implementing constructive feedback, you will meet your professional goals and continue to develop and excel in your position. A blog on Indeed mentions that you can gain a sense of accountability by being more productive, which will boost your motivation to work.

Reward Yourself

Blogs from the Harvard Business Review, Indeed, and Grammarly, suggest positive reinforcement for accomplishing professional goals. By establishing a reward system, you can use incentives to encourage yourself to follow through. Whether you have to write ten headlines or prepare a competitive analysis, once you achieve your goal, you should pat yourself on the back with a reward for hitting the mark.

Know When to Unplug

Another great suggestion from The Muse is that since you can’t stay motivated 24/7, make sure you set limits at work and clock out at the end of the day. Step away from your workstation periodically to have lunch, drink water, tea, coffee, or take a break. It can be tempting to put in extra hours, thinking you can get ahead of your deadlines by completing projects in your spare time. However, while you may finish some projects earlier than expected, you risk burning yourself out by pushing yourself too hard and not taking the time to rest. Unfortunately, this approach could hurt your productivity, and the days could end up feeling longer than they should.

You’ve Come a Long Way

Grammarly makes a great point that you may have overlooked. Don’t forget how hard you worked to get where you are today. You didn’t start in the position you are in now. You had to work your way up before you were able to land your current role. Remember the journey you went on and the struggles and challenges you faced because they all led up to this moment. Excelling in your current position will undoubtedly go a long way to helping you reach your next milestone.

Winners and Dreamers

Getting your groove back won’t be easy because it’s hard to motivate yourself to work when you’re not feeling it. Luckily, the above strategies could help change your mindset, refocus on your goals and objectives, and leave you feeling reinvigorated. Implementing feedback and suggestions from supervisors and peers will improve your performance and boost your motivation. If you haven’t considered positive reinforcement, you’re missing out on a simple method you could use to reward yourself. Since no one can be productive 24/7, it’s vital to unplug and rest to maintain your productivity. As Michael Jordan once said, “Sometimes a winner is just a dreamer who never gave up.”

 

Tags: Blog